Harlem Stonegate B&B is a superb choice for visitors who are searching for a blend of charm, peace and quiet, and a convenient location from which to experience or discover the natural beauty of Southeastern Ontario.

We offer:

an inspirational, comfortable, non-smoking environment, to unwind, relax, and rejuvenate;

charming period elegance with modern accents and pastoral views well suited to romantic getaways, intimate weddings or elopements; and

exceptional, personalized service, and are available to give constant care and attention to the needs of our guests.

Harlem Stonegate B&B is situated in an amazing 1860’s stone farmhouse and adjoining carriage house, originally built to support a 200-acre dairy farm. Restored in the mid 1990’s (and recently updated), using carefully chosen traditional materials, and while offering every modern comfort still retains its charming stone farmhouse style. The current property is approximately 50-acres and includes a tranquil sugar bush, peaceful waving hayfields, serene wetlands and fascinating majestic post-and-beam bank barns.

There are few locales in the world where a week spent on vacation includes glacier hikes and ice caves one day, hot springs and lava fields the next. But the natural beauty of Iceland — that breathtaking blend of ice and fire — is but one of the many reasons why the island nation draws visitors from around the world.

From the allure of geothermal spa days and crossing Aurora Borealis off your bucket list to celebrating Pride and Iceland’s love of live music festivals, there’s no shortage of reasons to head north come 2019. We lay out some of the most tempting reasons to visit Iceland below.

For those who have never been to Iceland or are dying to get back, IGLTA — the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association, a network of tourism businesses that provides free travel resources and promotes equality worldwide — is giving away a four-night trip for two to Iceland. (More details at the end of this article!)

Here are 15 reasons to travel to Iceland, the land of fire and ice, in 2019:

1. Pink Iceland is at your disposal for planning the queer trip of your dreams.

If only every international destination had a tour operator-slash-travel agency like Pink Iceland! Dedicated solely to the queer community, Pink Iceland works with nearly every LGBTQ (and allied) hotel, restaurant and business in the country. Twice a week it organizes a city walk and happy hour through Reykjavik. (Because what goes better with a little gay history than a cocktail?) Twice every month Pink Iceland also organizes a “Gay Golden Circle Tour.” (That ends with cocktails, too.)

And if you’re thinking about getting married in Iceland — it’s the new hot spot for gay weddings, in case you didn’t know — Pink Iceland is a must. Their planners will help out with everything from finding the perfect location to securing your flowers, cake and an officiant for the big day.

We love Lyon because it has a mix of everything. As well as a fun gay scene, it is also famous for being the foodie capital of France and for having many UNESCO listed buildings.

The majority of the gay nightlife of Lyon is located in the Presqu’île. This is the area where the two rivers, the Rhône and Saône meet, forming an island-like peninsula. The southern section of the Presqu’île is the confluence point of the 2 rivers, and is more residential. The northern end of the Presqu’île is where the majority of the gay scene is, particularly between Place des Terreaux and Cordeliers. In this area, it is not uncommon to see same sex couples walking the streets holding hands.

Following our many trips to France’s gastronomical capital, we’ve put together our gay guide to Lyon including the best bars, clubs, cruising clubs, saunas, events and places to stay.

Gay Bars in Lyon

Regardless of the season, the gay bars of Lyon are always a lot of fun, particularly as there is a large student population in the city. In the summer, the gay crowds spill into the streets outside. In the winter months, it’s super cozy with everyone buried inside the bars, clutching a cup of mulled wine. These are some of our favourite gay bars in Lyon:

La Ruche: one of the staple gay bars of Lyon. We love coming here for a few drinks to start the night, especially in the terrace area. La Ruche is located at 22 rue Gentil, 69002 and is open everyday from 5pm to late.

Living in a city like London can force you into a rut. Coming as a tourist, it’s a big city of a thousand attractions, bars, restaurants and buses. Sometimes, living here is like being run over by a bus made of smog and being dragged through a crowd of constantly disapproving people in suits, who are also made of smog. You need something to pull you out of the haze.

I needed a jolt. I needed a place so ridiculous, so perfect in its absurdity; a place literally made of electricity. Las Vegas.

The city could provide the shock to the system my jaded gay brain sorely needed. Las Vegas is like a city made on a dare. Las Vegas was where I needed to be.

Las Vegas is a City of Resorts

I spent the entire taxi ride from the airport to the hotel with my face pressed against the window. Severely jet-lagged – my body thought it was midnight when the blazing Nevada sun was telling me something different – the upcoming towers looked like a mirage.

In Vegas, you need to throw away all your hang ups about inauthenticity. I don’t care if you only go for the finest Colombian fine grain coffee in your favorite artisan coffee shop, that’s not what the City of Lights is about. It’s pure showmanship. It’s brash in the most extreme possible way. You’ll only enjoy it if, like Ripley at the end of Alien 3, you dive straight into this boiling hot nonsense.

When you live in the United States and you think about taking a trip to Europe, your mind darts so quickly from place to place and you start to create an enormous to-do list of sights and experiences you MUST cross off. Venice, Italy is at the top for everybody, I swear, and rightly so. But today you hear stories from everybody who visits of being over-run by tourists and walking through narrow streets in single file lines. Not cool. But we know how to enjoy a stress-free trip to Venice and now you can too.

Known as “la Serenissima”, the most serene, Venice is chalked full of history and beauty. It’s calm and peaceful in the wee hours, and yet it’s crazy and crowded with tourists in the daytime and around famous landmarks. Our method of exploring and tips are sure to help you have a relaxing and unforgettable trip to Venice.

Living on the west coast of the USA, the oldest structures we have anywhere are barely 150 years old, so immediately any fascinating architecture must go on the travel list. And then there is art. In the Seattle area we are inundated with local art (subjects of orca whales, boats, produce, modernism…), so the chance to visit every single museum filled with historic pieces in every city cannot be missed. But here’s some real talk: if you want to enjoy Venice stress free, let yourself be okay with not visiting every single museum.

Oh, and food. I can’t even begin to talk about that, so our friend Kavita will tackle that for us over on her blog. The best food in Venice should be left to the experts. My only thing to say about the food in Venice is that their preparation of seafood is unique in comparison with other places in Italy and at least one meal in Venice needs to be local seafood dishes.

You could say that Venice is a foot traffic nightmare, and you wouldn’t be lying, but that doesn’t mean it has to cause anxiety. Stress free Venice is all about letting the city lead you to the best experiences for YOU.

The Swiftcurrent Lodge is an excellent choice for year-round vacation getaways.

We take pride in our clean & comfortable accommodations, and we have some of the best rates you’ll find in Estes Park. We have 12 units total, 8 have kitchens or kitchenettes, 9 units are riverside, the other 3 units are mere steps away from the river.

We are right on the Big Thompson River with walking/hiking trails into Rocky Mountain National Park only 300 yards from your doorstep.

Travelling nowadays seems like the ultimate dream. We’re living that dream, and it is an absolute fairy tale! But, travelling the world as an LGBT traveller isn’t as easy as packing your bags and go. We have travelled to countries with anti-gay laws and we refuse to boycott countries for that reason. We believe travelling the world is for everyone! However, it’s important to do it safely. A few important questions to keep in mind before flying to a new destination: what are the LGBT+ rights? What’s the public opinion like? Where are the LGBT+ safe spaces? In our “How LGBT friendly is…” series we’ll share all so you have fewer worries and more fun on your travels! In this blog post, we answer all those questions about the Netherlands. How LGBT friendly is the Netherlands?

The Netherlands is often referred to as one of the most LGBT friendly destinations in the world (ranking #9 of Spartacus Gay Index 2018). Therefore it isn’t weird that LGBT rights in the Netherlands have been some of the most progressive in the world. The Netherlands is home to the world’s oldest existing LGBT organisation: COC Nederland, an organisation that has been fighting for LGBTI rights nationally and internationally since 1946.

In 2001, the Netherlands became the first country in the world to legalize marriage. Registered partnerships between same-sex couples are allowed since 1998. Same-sex couples may adopt together and lesbian couples have access to IVF. There are anti-discrimination laws since 1994 that ban discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation. From 1985, transgender people can legally change their gender when undergoing surgery and hormone therapy and since 2014 without undergoing surgery and hormone therapy. It’s possible, from 1970, to state “sex cannot be determined” on a birth certificate. This year, the Dutch court has ruled that a third gender must be recognised, adding a neutral option to the ‘male’ and ‘female’ gendered boxes. Overall, the Netherlands has great LGBT laws and keeps working on them!

Amsterdam Schiphol is the city’s main airport and one of the busiest airports in the world. It is located around 17km (10.5 miles) southwest from Amsterdam’s main train station (“Amsterdam Centraal“). Most of the European budget airlines fly here, so if you’re based in Europe you can get some pretty cheap flights to Amsterdam for a city break.

The main way to reach Amsterdam centre from the airport is via the Airport Express Bus 397 or the regional train to Amsterdam Centraal. We set out the various options below in detail, but strongly advise you to consider getting an Amsterdam Public Transport Ticket prior to your visit. This card gives you unlimited travel on all the city’s public transport networks operated by the Gemeentelijk Vervoerbedrijf (GVB), and also has the option to add on the Airport Express Bus return journey to/from the airport.

The Amsterdam Public Transport Card

Amsterdam’s public transport is impressive with a comprehensive network of buses, metro, trams and ferries. But this makes the ticketing system rather complicated and confusing, particularly for first time visitors. When buying your ticket at the ticket machines, there are so many options, it can be quite overwhelming! In addition, queues for the machines can get quite long, particularly during rush hour. This not only wastes time, but can be quite stressful.

To overcome this, we use the Amsterdam Public Transport Ticket, which gives you unlimited travel across all GVB operated services on the metro, trams, buses and ferries. Needless to say, we found this to be a godsend for our trip. It not only saved us a lot of unnecessary stress and time, but also money. Prices start from €7.50 for a 1 day ticket, plus €10 for the Airport Express Bus return ticket add on. By comparison, a one way ticket on the public transport costs €3, so after 3 journeys alone in one day, you’ve already paid off the cost of purchasing the Amsterdam Public Transport Ticket.